Achilles' Last Stand
by Shizumi-chan
Summary: Lelouch says Satan will laugh at him in hell. Suzaku says the demon wouldn't bother. Suzaku/Lelouch


**Achilles' Last Stand**

Lelouch, in his own silent way, often said cheers for their Trojan horse; that brilliant farce of theirs, the Zero Requiem, Suzaku was either appalled about this or he didn't care, either way nobody could really tell. But one had to hand it to the elder vi Brittania, he made an insanely (almost fool proof) plan to solve all the world's problems by pinning them all unto himself. Brilliant in too many ways, crazy in even more; Lelouch vi Brittania, for the 'betterment' of the world, willingly puts himself into death's hands. And death's name is Kururugi Suzaku.

But when the time finally comes (as it always does when you are a man condemned to death), you will eventually find yourself asking _"How does one spend his last night alive?"_. It had been days, yes days, since Lelouch first began pondering on the question, yet now that the inevitable night is upon him he is at a loss. His final evening was turning out to be quite the bore, something which disappointed him, he'd thought better of himself. He had to do something, anything.And it hadto be interesting, what would Satan say, as he basks there on his flaming throne in hell, when he finds out Lelouch vi Brittania spent his last night on earth.... SLEEPING? Nothing, that's what, he'd be too busy laughing his ass off instead. And so it became essential, for Lelouch to be able to keep his chin up in the underworld, that he spend his last night doing something exciting, or at the very least interesting. What to do now though, what to do... Call a friend over? But what friends did Lelouch have left, he already—....Well there WAS him. And he COULD call him, but he could hardly call their relationship friendship anymore. It had long died on one end. Suzaku detested him, and tomorrow he would be Lelouch's murder. They're not just doing this for the world, oh no, this was for Euphemia, for Nunally, for all the people who unconsciously pressured the two of them to do crazy shit. For everyone they loved, or once loved, they were going put on this brilliant farce.

Lelouch just KNOWS Suzaku is just itching to pierce his body with that sword. Which he'll have to admit somehow stings, although it was by all means his own fault. Nevertheless, Lelouch had never stopped seeing Suzaku as a friend; despite what it may seem like, and despite what most people think. In fact, Suzaku was probably the most important person in his life, next to Nunally that is. But hey, to be next to Nunally in Lelouch's heart was something. Though people who knew them well enough knew the Knight of Zero would probably be incapable or forgiving him, ever. Lelouch wonders, if Suzaku would believe him is he said that he loved Euphie too, and that was precisely why he had to kill her. The knight would probably choose not to believe him; maybe he'd even get himself punched. It stung how his 'dear old friend' buried so much hatred for him, but again, he knew he brought this unto himself. He deserved it when Suzaku called him evil in the most venomous of tones.

...But then again, who was Suzaku to talk? Lelouch is often times unfeeling and inconsiderate, but it is Suzaku who can be outright cruel. The "nice guy" image Suzaku had before was a lie. It was Suzaku denying his true nature, telling himself that he was a righteous person, morally upright, when in reality, he isn't. It all began when he killed his father, and it just subconsciously evolved, and Lelouch gathers Suzaku realized this somewhere along the way. Which is probably why he's condemning himself now by joining forces with Lelouch, why else would he, friendship? Suzaku has long disregarded that sort of relationship with Lelouch. Nevertheless... things DID tend to get interesting when Suzaku was around. Was fate spiting them both by putting them in crazy situations together?

"Why invite me all of a sudden?" says Suzaku, as he moves his rook a few squares back "Don't you have better things to do?"

Lelouch moves his bishop "I wanted to do something interesting on my last night..."

For a moment, Suzaku stares at him, moves his rook two squares to the right "... and this is your idea of interesting?"

"Well..." a sigh "...not exactly... I was hoping your presence would grace me once again with a crazy idea..." his knight takes down a bishop "...it sort of does that..."

"I figured as much..." he moves his king a square back "...you DID ask me to kill you tomorrow"

Lelouch smirks, moves his queen "Checkmate" he says, Suzaku stares, blinks, and then merely shrugs to dismiss it.

"Whatever, I don't know what you're planning, but I have to prepare for tomorrow" Suzaku narrows his eyes, his facial expression asking 'can I go now?'

For some reason, Lelouch recoils.

Suzaku sighs, "You were never really good at passing time."

"I was thinking at least I could do something even VAGUELY interesting, if I haven't done it before then OH JOY" the 99th Brittanian Emperor rolls his eyes

Suzaku thinks about how Lelouch never changes, always so unknowingly self-centred, always one to bother those within immediate reach to get what he wants. The Knight of Zero decides it's times like these when you crack those crazy unnecessary jokes (because at these times, Lelouch is flustered), "Something you've never done before?" says Suzaku "Let's have sex then"

For a brief moment there is silence, and Lelouch sits there across Suzaku, wide-eyed. Then, deviously smirking, the Emperor says "That's brilliant"

The silence that follows that statement is longer, less comfortable "...What?" Suzaku looks genuinely surprised "...You aren't serious are you? Cause I know I wasn't"

"I haven't done it before, and I hear it's exciting, not a bad idea Suzaku, as I said, it's brilliant" Lelouch is still sporting a devious smirk

"It's also insane" Suzaku frowns "Furthermore I can't believe you took that seriously, I was anything but serious"

Lelouch slumps into his chair "You're right, it's insane" he sighs "But it was also a good idea"

"We aren't exactly in good enough terms to do any of that" Suzaku comments

Lelouch looks at him tentatively then sighs again "And by that, I can say that ultimately, it is my own damn fault that I end up spending my last night in such a boring way" he grunt "Satan must be laughing at me right at this moment"

Suzaku shrugs, face indifferent "Why would Satan waste his time laughing at you?" he says.

"I dunno..." Lelouch makes a dramatic hand gesture "...I'm the source of the world's problems, I led the rebellion of the Black Knights only out of my own self-interest, and now I'm imprisoning them for the same reasons... You'd think those things are significant to the devil, he led a 'rebellion' too after all, the most sinful of all rebellions at that..."

"You're pretty bent on going to hell aren't you?" is the comment that follows

"I'm not BENT on going to hell, I'm just SURE I'll go to hell. It's a simple principle Suzaku, what we do in our life here on earth predetermines our exact destination in the afterlife, when you know it's almost over, and you know you've done nothing but bullshit, it is a sure thing, that you are going to hell..." Lelouch sits straight and pats the chair's arms "...The end is near for me, Inferno will open its gates, my eternal punishment already waiting for me, entirely encased in ice, Judecca would be my new home!" and he laughs, bitterly

"The Divine Comedy..." Suzaku says in a plain tone "...is by all means, FICTIONAL"

"Ah but it's a nice thought isn't it... certainly better than the usual vision of hell, souls burning eternally in fire..." he stands, makes for his mini-refrigerator, one of the few luxuries he spared for himself. Essentially, his room is exponentially barer than most emperors' rooms. "...Wine Suzaku?"

He waves a hand dismissively, something which Lelouch can take as a yes. The Emperor takes a bottle, and fills two glasses, he hands one to his knight. The both take their first sips in silence.

Staring at his reflection, reddened by wine, Suzaku sighs then says, with a quiet voice "But isn't the ice thing a worse punishment? You can't even cry, or scream, or anything, you'll just be there... in pain... whereas if you were in fire..."

"I can't cry? I can't scream?" Lelouch laughs, drinks of the wine in his glass with one gulp "It isn't a very different situation from right now Suzaku" he can just hear C.C. laughing at him in the distance, saying that he cried in his sleep or something of the sort.

"For this plan to work..." the Knight of Zero began, his voice cold "...You have to avoid showing a single trace of remorse or hesitation"

"I haven't failed you yet have I?" Lelouch refills his glass, and then raises it into the air "Cheers to our Trojan horse!" he exclaimed

For a moment, Suzaku stared at the glass in the air, no emotions on his face, though by now Lelouch knows him well enough to know this means he's thinking about something. And when the emperor moves his glass forward, ever so slightly, his knight finally toasts with him, and a soft clink can be heard in the room's silence, followed by the gulping sounds of two not really grown men.

"Achilles died you know..." Suzaku found himself muttering, not really meaning to do it, and he is surprised that Lelouch smiles.

"...Yes, it was his last stand, and it was a glorious one" he says "...His was a death story retold time and time again... But unlike him, I have no gods on my side, just a few demons, one of them just itching to kill me" and Suzaku knows that Lelouch was referring to him

"I will forever hate you for killing Euphemia" he says frankly, and before Lelouch can even begin to say that he knows, Suzaku adds "But I will also never forget that you were once my best friend, for those were my happiest days"

Suppressing a look of surprise, Lelouch looks away "Ah... the times we spent at your temple when we were still young and powerless..." he tries to laugh right, but it comes out strained "I... I can't imagine being any happier than I was then... It's a shame I didn't realize it at the time..." and when he laughs again, it's genuine "...Who could have predicted it? No one I tell you, it's amazing how long ago it was, you and I running in the grassy fields... I was always out of breath... You'd always help me climb up those ledges... I was pathetic at physical activities... Who would have guessed that the bratty boys Suzaku and Lulu would rule the world...?"

Suzaku doesn't know how to reply to Lelouch's fond musings, so he keeps silent. Reaches for the wine bottle and fills his glass up again. It's not till after he takes a few sips that he remembers something. "...That middle-aged lady who lived next door did..." and he almost smiles at his own statement. He hears that Lelouch is already laughing.

"I remember she said something in the lines of me killing my father someday and becoming emperor, and how you'd do all the dirty work for me... " he laughs again "... Oh how RIGHT she ended up being... I bet you she had a heart attack during our first grand public appearance together... well, assuming she saw that..."

"Are you kidding me?" Suzaku said with narrow eyes "There isn't a single person on this planet who DIDN'T see that"

Lelouch laughs, and thereafter silence ensues. Suzaku snorts out of the blue. "What's so funny?" and the emperor's smiling.

"I was just remembering the sight of that woman's underwear tied to the most prominent tree top" the edge of his mouth moves, just a little bit "... It was there for everyone to see"

"How DID I talk you into raiding that woman's underwear drawer?" and Lelouch is grinning, his eyes laughing

"You told me she called Nunally 'good for nothing'..." Suzaku frowns "...When in truth you were actually angry since she called YOU 'skanky'." Lelouch knows why Suzaku's so irked about this, it's because back then, Lelouch didn't even KNOW what skanky meant and he got both of them into trouble for the wrong reasons. Of course Lelouch still found the work to be an insult on his part after looking it up on the dictionary, but still.

"If I had told you the truth, you wouldn't have help me" he says this matter-of-factly

The reply came in a straight, firm tone "That's not true"

He could not have been more surprised, what those words implied, they were things he did not expect at all from his knight. Not at all, not in a million years. But he didn't want to think about it, he wanted to change the topic, he felt unworthy, especially after what he had done to Euphemia. "Tomorrow..." he said "...men from all over the world will be spitting at our graves..."

"Nunally won't let that happen..." the voice was the type that would be audible only to them both

Lelouch shakes his head "She can't prevent it..." he says "...It's bound to happen... We were by all means a cruel dictatorship..."

"As we should have been" for some reason, the emperor finds himself wide-eyed at this statement

"Yes..." he replies "...It's humiliating when I remember how I used to think I could actually save the world by being a 'hero'..."

"No one can save the world..." Suzaku said, voice filled with more resolve "...It's already too late, everyone's screwed..." he sighs "...but we're definitely going to make it a damn better place tomorrow"

"I wish I could see how it turns out..." both of them look away, the statement weighing down on them. Tomorrow they will both see death, one from the killer's eyes, one from the victim's eyes. But Suzaku will be the victim, yes, because this will be Lelouch's suicide, Suzaku is just the hand he used to deal the blow.

Carefully, Lelouch begins to approach Suzaku, he places one hand on his knight's shoulder. "Thank you" he says suddenly, plainly, a small smile on his face. "...and... I guess... Goodbye..." it comes as a complete surprise, it did not even sink in right away, but Suzaku was certain, that for one, maybe two, brief seconds, Lelouch's lips touched his. His eyes widen.

"Well at least that's one thing I've never done before..." he smiled "... on my last night alive, I kissed a man... The one who, coincidentally, I have asked to kill me"

Suzaku looks away, shrugs "Why did you?"

"Hmm? Why did I what?" Lelouch inquires "Why did I kiss you?"

"No, why did you ask me to kill you? There are many others you could have asked."

"It needs to be you. For so many reasons it just NEEDS to be you. I thought it would make you happy for one, what with Euphemia and all—"

Suzaku grabs him by the wrist, raises it up "You seriously thought this would make me happy?"

Lelouch smiles "I guess happy is the wrong word for it... I thought it would satisfy you then, is that better?"

Suzaku doesn't reply, he just releases the wrist that he grasped (maybe a little too tightly).

"You're not saying no..." purple eyes laugh in amusement "...you DO think this will satisfy you"

"Not entirely..." he replies "...but yes, it will. You DID kill Euphie after all."

"Ah..." Lelouch remembers his contemplations previously that night "...Would you believe me if I told you I loved Euphemia as a woman once too?"

"No" was the blunt reply "She was your sister" not the reason Lelouch expected

"HALF-sister, and you know the ways of we royal Brittanians, marrying within the family isn't so uncommon now..." Lelouch laughs "...But she was too good for me"

"Yes she was" Suzaku stares at the floor "Why did you ask her to kill everyone like... like me?" _Everyone Japanese_Suzaku thinks, he asks now, because he knows full well that there will be no other chance

"There's no use in explaining myself now, you'd hate me regardless..." the statement was said matter-of-factly "... The fact remains, I am Euphemia's murderer, and tomorrow, you shall be mine" Lelouch falls onto his chair once more, laughs a strained laugh

Suzaku stares down at him "Your wine is spilling" he says, face returning to the emotionless one, perhaps it looked even more so than before

"Ah, so it is..." Lelouch stares at the red liquid, falling out of his glass and onto the clean carpet, well, now it was formerly clean

"Where shall you be buried" Suzaku watches the red liquid as it slowly trickles downward

"You can throw me wherever you want, it makes no difference... Once the sword pierces my body all the duties you have in relation to me are done..." Lelouch wears a strained smile "...You will not be a free man after tomorrow, but at the very least you will be free from me"

Suzaku laughs, bitterly, his face looking pained "You know that's not true..." he lifts a hands to his face, his finger graze his eyes

"You can always have that Geass removed..." Lelouch was still smiling, and it looked like it was the most difficult thing in the world to do

"...are you kidding me?" Suzaku looked at him with a scornful look, almost accusing "This is probably the only proof in this world that we were ever best friends."

Lelouch's face falls, the glass slips from his hand, and it breaks into pieces. Neither of them reacts at first really, they just stared at it. Lelouch huffs then slowly begins to pick up the bigger pieces of his broken glass, and then calmly, Suzaku sets his own glass down onto a nearby table, he takes a stride for Lelouch. He grabs him by the collar, Lelouch stifles a gasp.

The emperor stares at his knight, the knight stares at his emperor, neither of them showing any emotion really, but neither of them looking indifferent either; the atmosphere was in a word, intense. "I've been dead for a long time now, and tomorrow, everyone will be under the impression that you will join me"

"They have the order wrong don't they?" and it's asked almost laughingly "This is our penance" not even a second after this statement, Suzaku deals a powerful punch on Lelouch's cheek. He tumbles away and hit's the wall.

Slowly he lift's his hand to his probably bruised cheek "How on earth am I supposed to hide a bruise like this for tomorrow?"

"You won't bruise..." Suzaku looks away; a tad irked at his lack of an angry response "...You'll look immaculate even in death I'm sure..." and despite the fact that he's saying a compliment, he sounds positively exasperated

Lelouch laughs "A fact which seems to irritate you so..."

Suzaku makes a hand gesture, looking as if he was slicing the air with his hand "You make it all sound so simple..." his eyes are narrowed, his lips are frowning "...From death to ruling the word, it's all seems so trivial to you..."

"You think so?" he stares at the floor, opts to stand, uses the wall for support "I was just trying to make it easier... For me... and for you... I—"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Suzaku practically growls, he walks towards Lelouch grabs him by the collar again and pins him to the wall. "There is no way in hell that you or ANYONE can make this easier!" Suzaku's glare is venomous, his gaze piercing

Lelouch knew had a forlorn expression at that very moment, he knew Suzaku would get irked by that fact even more. So he tried to pull an emotionless look, slowly retracting what could only be a melancholic smile. Suzaku bangs him onto the wall, forcibly makes Lelouch look at him with his right hand, and keeps his left hand at his collar. "There are many things which I hate you for, and many things which I cannot hate you for...But right now I hate you" he says his voice almost shaking "...I hate you, with every fibre of my being, I hate you"

"Yes..." Lelouch says laughingly "...Yes I know...But..." he smiles at Suzaku, with the most sincere smile he can muster "...But the feeling isn't mutual..." silence follows, Suzaku continues to scowl at him, but releases his grip of his head, his right hand falling to his side, his left hand loosening its grip on Lelouch's collar "Suzaku..." he says, softly, almost affectionately "...I'm sorr—" he doesn't finish, Suzaku kisses him, open-mouthed. The emperor submits to his knight.

If it was just to entertain Suzaku's so called 'brilliant idea', if it was some sick way of dealing revenge, or if it was just a hormone driven animalistic act, neither of them really cared. Lelouch vi Brittania spent his last night doing something he'd never done before. Kururugi Suzaku repeatedly mentions that it is not enough, whatever IT was; the 99th Emperor was never able to figure out, out of his wits as he was. Lelouch wondered where the notion of this idea being so ridiculous went, he wonders why Suzaku decided they were suddenly on good enough grounds to do such things, and he wonders why he actually doesn't really care for the answers of those questions. He basked in what would be the last moments he spends with his former best friend, letting Suzaku satisfy himself in whichever way he wanted (whatever he was trying to satisfy however, was a mystery to the emperor). They both obviously wanted this, some part of them thinks they always have in some way, or maybe they were both making excuses.

When dawn came, they had just finished for what was probably the fourth time, the Emperor walked limply towards his bedroom curtains, opens them widely, letting the day's sunshine enter his room.

"Time for your last stand Achilles" Lelouch said, and Suzaku knew it was addressed to him

The Knight of Zero rises, wraps his arms around his emperor's waist, and whispers roughly against his ear "Wait for me in the underworld Hector..." Lelouch smiles, amusement obvious "...I'll tell you and Satan all about the new world..."

....................................

(**A/N:**Goodness, what was that? This was lying around unfinished, so I just decided to get it done. I actually don't know what to make of this AT ALL. Epic-ly random. As are all my one shots... but *sigh* I hope it wasn't TOO bad. My first time writing a fic for this pairing, though I've loved them to death for a while now... And so I'd appreciate reviews, I'd like to know what I did wrong, haha!

Oh yes, this is unedited, so pardon the typos and errors (which was likely caused by the late hour I was writing this))

**EDIT: THIS IS NOW.... EDITED 8D**


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